

Report
The New England Free Jacks travel down to The Queen City to face Anthem RC in an Eastern Conference clash. The Reigning Champs have righted the ship after a shaky start to the season, and now sit on a 3-game win streak and looking to continue to climb the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Anthem RC sit rock bottom of the league with a 0-8 record and are still hunting for that elusive first victory as a franchise. These teams have faced each other twice in the past, with the Free Jacks holding a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head series.
Although Anthem kept the Free Jacks close through the first 30 minutes, as the game went on New England began to pull away. A second try from Paula Balekana just before half-time was a dagger for the hosts. They came out fighting again after the break and the Free Jacks had their work cut out for them, but Anthem never really looked like scoring. It took also half an hour for the first score of the second half, with the Free Jacks scoring twice within 4 minutes to lock up the try BP and a convincing 6-26 victory. The reigning champions now sit just 3pts back of the lead in the Eastern Conference, and have won 4 in a row. Anthem RC meanwhile, fall to a 25 game losing streak and despite coming close to that first victory, seem to have been moving further away from that goal in the last few weeks.
Details
Date | Time | League | Season |
---|---|---|---|
April 18, 2025 | 7:30 pm | Major League Rugby | MLR 2025 |
Results
Team | Tries | Conversions | Penalty Kick | TB | LB | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anthem | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Free Jacks | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
Anthem
# | Player | Position | T | C | P | AC | DG | MG | Tackles | KS/KA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jake Turnbull 17 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
2 | Connor Robinson 16 | Hooker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
3 | Alex Maughan 18 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
4 | Puna Vuli 19 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
5 | Sam Golla | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Alejandro Martinez Tapia | Flanker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
7 | Makeen Alikhan | Flanker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Colin Turner 20 | Number 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
9 | Ishma-eel Safodien 21 | Scrum-half | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
10 | Cliven Loubser 23 | Fly-half | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
11 | Toby Fricker | Wing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
12 | EJ Freeman | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
13 | Erich Storti 22 | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
14 | Conner Mooneyham | Wing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
15 | Mitch Wilson | Fullback | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 5 | 2/2 | 6 |
16 | Ethan Howard 2 | Number 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
17 | Dan Hanson 1 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
18 | Stephan Bernal-Wendt 3 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
19 | Javon Camp-Villalovos 4 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
20 | Albert O’Shannessey 8 | Flanker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
21 | Carlo de Nysschen 9 | Scrum-half | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Watson Filikitonga 13 | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
23 | Ashawnty Staples-Flowers 10 | Wing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 354 | 117 | 2/2 | 6 |
Free Jacks
# | Player | Position | T | C | P | AC | DG | MG | Tackles | KS/KA | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Malakai Hala-Ngatai 17 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
2 | Andrew Quattrin 16 | Hooker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
3 | Kaleb Geiger 18 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
4 | Piers von Dadelszen 19 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
5 | Sam Caird 20 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Jed Melvin 23 | Flanker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 24 | 0 | 5 |
7 | Joe Johnston | Flanker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Jerónimo Gómez Vara | Number 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 | Oscar Lennon 21 | Scrum-half | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | 3/4 | 6 |
10 | Harrison Boyle | Fly-half | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
11 | Paula Balekana | Wing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
12 | Le Roux Malan | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
13 | Ben LeSage 22 | Center | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
14 | Jack Reeves | Wing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
15 | Brock Webster | Fullback | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
16 | Connal McInerney 2 | Hooker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
17 | Tevita Sole 1 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
18 | Jone Koroiduadua 3 | Prop | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
19 | Josh Larsen 4 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
20 | Conor Keys 5 | Lock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
21 | Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti 9 | Scrum-half | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Isaac Olson 13 | Center | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
23 | Kaipono Kayoshi 6 | Flanker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 624 | 167 | 3/4 | 26 |
Venue
American Legion Memorial Stadium |
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American Legion Memorial Stadium, 310, North Kings Drive, Elizabeth, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 28204, United States |